Worth It
by fanzel12
Summary: "Who knew high level money laundering during perimenopause could lead to pregnancy?" Beth and Rio are thrown a major curveball during their steamy affair. Together, they are forced to decide what's worth losing and what's worth protecting.
1. The Test

AN: I've been posting my Good Girls/Brio goodness on AO3, but I'm thinking about posting here as well. If you run across this, like what you've read, and are interested in me posting here, just leave a comment or message me and let me know! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

One last load of counterfeit cash to wash and their six month plan would be complete. So much had happened for Beth in what felt like so little time. She and Rio had a thing going on that hadn't slowed down since it started, she essentially rescued her family from the debt that Dean accrued, she secured her children's future as far as finances go. She did it all without getting caught despite the many, many times they came close. It was finally about to be done. She wasn't in much of a mood to celebrate though because unfortunately, she felt like death warmed over; figured it was the flu kicking her ass. Throughout their ups and downs over the past six months, she and Dean had grown closer as friends. She let him stay in the guest bedroom of the house for the kids' sake and at a time like this, she was thankful to have him there.

"You need me to take the kids somewhere?" Dean asked, peeping his head into the bedroom.

"Please." she groaned. "My head is killing me and the noise isn't helping."

There had only been a few times in her adult life that she had felt this horrible. Four times to be exact. But she knew that this wasn't like those time. She had convinced herself that she only had the flu and it just wouldn't go away. After a few more miserable days in bed, while the kids were at school and Dean was at work, she went into her bathroom. She opened the cabinet under the sink and eyed two unopened pregnancy tests left there by Annie after she had a slip up with Gregg a few months back. She bit her lip in contemplation. She just knew she wasn't pregnant, but to ease her mind, she grabbed them and slammed the cabinet door shut. She hated this waiting game, always had, each and every time. She had called Rio before she took the tests and he hadn't gotten there soon enough for her so she went ahead and took them. She set her timer for three minutes and Rio showed up a minute after that. They spent the next two minutes sitting quietly on her bed until her alarm went off.

"Do you want me to go check?" Rio asked softly, really unsure of what he should say or do.

She looked at him. "Would you know how to read it?" she responded.

"Nope."

Beth stood up and sighed. "I got it."

She went into the bathroom and grabbed one test off of the sink counter. A bright pink line next to a very, very faint pink line. Her eyes filled with tears, hoping and internally praying that this was a malfunction. She picked up the second test and there right next to one another were two very defined bright pink lines. Her tears couldn't stay where they were then; they rolled down her cheeks in streams as she tried to breathe out once she realized she had stopped breathing at one point. She wiped her face to no avail because as soon as she did, more tears came. Positive pregnancy test in hand, she opened the door not knowing Rio would be right there at the doorway.

"Who knew high level money laundering during perimenopause could lead to pregnancy?" she asked before choking on a sob that she didn't even feel coming up.

"What the fuck?" Rio said as quietly as he could without thinking it in his head.

"What the fuck?" she repeated, wiping her face. "That's not exactly what you were saying when we had sex with no condom, smart guy."

The last thing he wanted to do was upset her. "I didn't mean it like that." he explained. "Just…shocked."

She sat on the bed and he sat next to her. Rio holding one of Beth's hands while she held the pregnancy test in the other, a million questions and no answers running through both of their heads but not spilling out of their mouths. Not wanting to assume, Rio bluntly asked the main question he had.

"Keeping it?"

She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't entertain the thought of anything else."

He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. She was okay for a second until he put his mouth against her cheek, stubble she had grown to love rubbing against her face. The tears started rolling again and she couldn't help but turn and wrap her arms around him. She never for a second doubted calling him over when she was about to take the tests. Deep down she knew he'd be there for her no matter what the results were, no matter what she decided. Thoughts of all of their times together flooded her memory and she could remember the night things changed for them like it was yesterday. From that point on, they both knew it wasn't just sex no matter how badly they wanted it to be, but they kept with that excuse as a reason to not stop. Now this. This was going to change everything.

She cried on and off for a couple of hours and he stayed by her side, holding her the entire time. She had to get her wits about her so she could take the next necessary steps. She had to find a good OBGYN who was also a good drive away. They were able to schedule her an appointment the next day and she declined Rio's offer to drive her. She needed time alone to think and the drive there gave her that. Sitting in the lobby, filling out information all by herself gave her that. She felt so lonely especially when she thought about how exciting confirmation visits had been with her other pregnancies. But that was different. She was married to a man who she thought was loving and faithful then. Now she was knocked up by a criminal who really was loving and faithful. Every once in a while, tears would come and she'd have to quickly wipe them away. This was particularly tough when she saw the little being in her tummy on the ultrasound screen. A part of her felt like she should be happy to have a healthy baby growing inside of her, but the anxiety and fear the situation brought on just wouldn't let her be. Nine weeks along and scared to death, Beth asked the doctor if she could hear the heartbeat. She did. And it made it as real as her four littles ones at home. She didn't bother wiping the tears at that point.


	2. The News

It had been two months since she found out she was expecting and up until now, she just looked fat according to people who loved to point out her weight gain. But looking in the bathroom mirror, there was no more hiding her bump, which was starting to round out. She didn't know who to tell, who not to tell, or whether or not she should even mention it to anyone at all. After thinking long and hard about her options, she called Annie and Ruby over. They both came straightaway after she told them it was an emergency. But once they got there, all her nerve had flown out of the nearest window. The three of them stood quietly in the kitchen.

"Since no one else will say it: What the hell are we doing here?" Annie blurted out.

"I have news." Beth answered quietly, her voice the complete opposite of Annie's.

Ruby looked worried. "What is it? Is everything okay?"

Beth had realized that this was going to be the first time she said it out loud and the thought of doing so made her choke up a little. She swallowed and took a deep breath because she knew this life changing information couldn't be sucked back into her mouth afterwards.

"I…I'm pregnant." She took a sip of water, looking back and forth at Annie and Ruby's mouths hanging open. "That's it. That's the emergency."

"Wait. What?!" Annie shouted. "I thought you and Dean weren't really together anymore."

"We're not." she explained, shaking her head.

"Beth." Ruby deadpanned. "It's not."

Beth knew that Ruby had put two and two together. She had told Ruby and Annie about she and Rio hooking up a few times months ago, but she also told them that it stopped after those few times although it never had.

Ruby continued with her question even though she already knew the answer. "It's Rio's?"

"What?!" Annie's voice got louder and louder with each thing she said.

"Could you stop yelling?" Beth asked, not really asking but demanding. "There is nothing you can say to me that I haven't already said to myself. I feel terrible about it, but there is nothing I can do to change it."

Annie finally lowered her voice. "How far along are you?"

"Four months." Beth answered. "I couldn't feel worse about this. I just feel so awful." she said, starting to cry.

Annie and Ruby rushed to her side and wrapped their arms around her as she sobbed and it reminded her of the day she found out herself. There were people in her life who supported her and loved her no matter what. She didn't have to be alone in this. When she finally pulled herself together, they went and squeezed on the couch next to one another like they often did. It made her feel so much better to be able to talk about it.

"So what do you plan on telling Dean?" Annie inquired.

Beth shrugged. "I told him I've been seeing someone. He knows I'm sleeping with them, just doesn't know who."

At the risk of making Beth feel like she was being interrogated, Ruby snuck her own question in shyly. "What did Rio say about all of this?"

Beth grinned. "He asks me questions all the time about what it feels like and how I'm feeling. He's always bothering me, asking me if I need something. When it's just us talking, I forget about Dean and the type of trouble Rio's into. I feel waves of happiness, then they're gone."

"Do you know what you're having?" Annie asks, swearing to herself this is the last question. For now at least.

"Not yet." Beth answered, shaking her head. "I should find out at my next appointment in a few days. Rio's been begging to come with me, but I really need you two there."

They were more than glad to accompany her.

After her appointment, she said goodbye to Ruby and Annie before calling Rio to meet her at her house. He came right away, already in the best mood she had ever witnessed him in.

"So?" he asked.

"So my doctor keeps mentioning my advanced maternal age." she answered, rolling her eyes.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"You were right. It's a girl." She smiled.

"I knew it!" he shouted, smiling ear to ear, reaching out to put his hands on her small belly. He got face to belly with her and spoke. "I knew it was a Lia."

"Do I not get a say in what her name is?" Beth asked, giggling at how surprisingly adorable Rio was being.

"It's Lia." he answered, standing up straight.

"Since I love seeing you so happy, I'm going to let you decide whether or not you want to continue our conversation now or later." she said, sternly. The way the smile melted from his face hurt her a little. "You love her already, that's obvious. You have to get out of everything you're in if you want to be in her life."

"And do what?" he asked, taking a seat on the couch.

She sat next to him. "You're smart, so smart. You can do anything."

"Nah. I don't need some suburban housewife trying to be my guidance counselor."

"Is that all I am?" she asked, regretting bringing the conversation up and popping their happy bubble. "Just some suburban housewife? Nice to know how you feel."

He shook his head. "You know I didn't mean that."

"You say a lot of things you don't mean and I'm starting to think you mean them."

He knew he was in the wrong like he was a lot of the time. "I'm sorry."

"Me too. It's just really stressful trying to figure all of this out."

"You don't have to worry about anything if you just let me take care of you." Rio assured her. He hated seeing her so worried and feeling helpless.

She looked at him and already missed the huge smile that was on his face just a few short minutes ago. She wanted him to always smile like that and she knew how to make it come back. At least for the moment.

"Why do you love the name Lia so much?" she asked, genuinely interested.

"Was my grandmother's name." he answered, smile already tugging at the corners of his mouth. "She raised me, she was the only family I had. But now I got you."

Beth rolled her eyes and smiled when she realized he wasn't talking to her anymore. He had rested a hand on her stomach and started talking to their baby. _Their baby_. Twenty years and four children with Dean and _their baby_ was about to change all of their lives. Beth and Rio knew soon after they started having sex that it wasn't just for fun, there was a connection. They never talked about it explicitly, only small things here and there. But before she rattled the lives of her little ones, the people who meant the most in the world to her, she needed things to be clear. And at this point, she couldn't be anything less than blunt.

"Do you love me too or just her?" she asked, immediately regretting it because she didn't even know what answer she was hoping for.

Rio's eyes slowly lifted to Beth's face, attempting to get a sense of where her thoughts were but she didn't even know.

"I just need to know so I can figure out if I need to let my children know that the man with the giant eagle tattooed on his throat isn't just someone Mommy's met once or twice." she explained.

"I love her." he answered and watched Beth's face start to drain. "And I love you. You should know that by now."

She exhaled. "You never say it."

"I show it. Words don't mean shit when the actions don't add up. But if you needed to hear it, there you go." He gave Beth a quick kiss on the lips. "Can I finish my conversation with her now?"

Beth laughed. "The ignoring me for her begins already. You do know that a lot of things are going to have to change for this to work out? Have to change for her?"

He nodded. "She's worth it."

* * *

AN: I hope that if you've gotten this far, you have enjoyed these two chapters! If there is any interest in me posting the rest here, comment or message and let me know! My biggest hope is that you enjoyed my work so far!


	3. The Argument

AN: This chapter contains some Brio smut so the rating for this work has been bumped up to M. Hopefully people will still be able to find it because reviews/faves/follows fuel me! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Over the next few months, Beth had handled things little by little. She first told Dean so he could find a place to live. They decided not to discuss divorce right away. She then told the children who were thrilled about having a baby in the house soon, but looked a little crushed and a lot confused when she explained to them that their dad wasn't the baby's dad. That information sparked a million and one questions and led to them meeting Rio, which was not even a little awkward. Beth couldn't be happier than she was when Rio came over and had dinner and spent time with her and the kids. But outside of the house was completely different.

Other people weren't privy to the same Rio that she was. So people were afraid of him from things they'd heard and honestly probably experienced firsthand. Parents would stare at them if Rio came with Beth to one of the kids' games or school functions. She would hear the things people said as she walked by in the grocery store or at a PTA meeting because no one cared enough to try and whisper.

There was only one thing hurt her more: the argument. It happened nearly every time the kids weren't around. The last thing she wanted to do was keep Rio out of Lia's life and if she was honest with herself, she probably wouldn't have the heart to do it anyway. But she needed him to stop with the drugs, the counterfeit money, and anything else he was into that he was probably hiding from her. It was important to her that she and her kids were never caught up in that and were never in any danger. Not even the slightest chance of it. Their last argument was the worst one yet so they hadn't seen each other in almost a week. She was shocked when he popped up after she put the kids to bed.

"They've been asking about you." she said quietly, fixing herself a mug of warm milk and cinnamon.

"Yeah? Look, I'm sorry things got heated the other night."

"Rio, you keep apologizing and nothing is changing." She immediately realized that, that wasn't entirely true. He had changed a lot in order to be around Beth and her children. She always held back her tears until he left when they argued, but she couldn't anymore. She looked at him from across the kitchen island.

"You have no idea how much it scares me to think about having her," she started, placing a hand on her belly, "Then losing you. Someone could hurt you, the FBI could be on your trail again, anything. Do you want to leave us behind? I don't care about the money, it's you that I need. We need you." She turned around and leaned against the island.

He went and stood in front of her, wiping the tears from her face.

"Why don't you understand that I need you to love us more than you love whatever's out there?" she asked, looking him in the eyes.

Rio shook his head. "I do. I'll figure something out. Just don't cry and don't ever think that what's out there is more important than what's here. You understand me?"

"Yeah." she answered, nodding her head. She grabbed his jacket and pulled him closer to her. "I'm not trying to turn you into a different person, I just want my children and our child to be okay and to always have us."

"Me too." he whispered, closing the space between them and kissing her softly.

She stuck her hand down into his sweatpants, gripping his cock through his briefs. It made him shiver and she moaned into his mouth. Sex lately had been a hit or miss because like most first time dads, Rio was afraid of having sex while Beth was pregnant. But all fear left him when he opened up Beth's robe and saw her bare body. He always joked that he didn't think her breasts could get any bigger, but he was glad to have been wrong.

"They hurt so be gentle." she instructed him, feeling him getting hard in her grip.

He softly caressed the sides of them, hands then roaming down the sides of her belly and landing on her hips. They couldn't take it anymore; they rushed upstairs, Rio shedding shoes and clothing on the way. Beth grabbed a pillow and put it at the foot of her bed before lying down on it. Legs spread wide open, she brought a hand down to her wetness, fingers collecting the slickness that was at her entrance and dragging it to her clit. She massaged herself, moaning as quietly as she could. Rio ridded himself of his last piece of clothing, his briefs, and positioned the head of his erect penis at Beth's entrance. She caught him glancing at her belly.

"We won't hurt her." she assured him before he slowly entered her. He had been missing the feel of her warmth wrapped tightly around his member. He felt like he was going to explode and the sight of her body wasn't slowing the process. He placed a hand on the back of her neck and carefully leaned down to kiss her while driving in and out of her. They both knew it wouldn't be long before they came and they had no shame about it. Rio lifted his body from hers and reached down to hook an arm underneath one of her legs, then did the same with her other leg.

"Oh!" she moaned, feeling like that leverage made him hit a new spot inside of her. She hoped she wouldn't wake the kids, but she needed this so badly. Needed _him_ so badly. His strokes started getting erratic and her fingers sped up their motions on her clit. He could feel her tightening around him and he knew he was done.

"Ah shit." he groaned as he came inside of her. Her own orgasm hitting seconds after his, making her body quiver. He stayed inside of her for a few seconds, then removed himself, getting a tight grip on her thighs.

"God, I really needed that." she said, breathless. She sat up and looked up at him. "I need some more to make up for lost time." she said, grabbing his wet cock and stroking it.

"Beth. Doesn't Lia eat whatever you eat?" Rio asked, grabbing Beth's wrist.

"You're being ridiculous. I'll spit." she negotiated.

Rio shook his head. "You're too greedy to do that and I like that. But not while you're pregnant with my daughter."

"You better take it while I'm not feeling sick. I can barely brush my teeth these days without gagging." She smiled at him hardening in her hand.

"Get on the bed. All fours." he demanded.

Beth did as she was told. She turned around and crawled closer to the head of the bed, taking her pillow with her and placing it between the bed and her belly as she bent over. Rio always told her that finding a woman as stacked as she was in the suburbs was his greatest find and seeing that ass in the air was the best reminder. He gripped as much as he could with one hand before entering her. She knew that when he got her like this, she didn't have to do a thing but enjoy it. But because pleasing him pleased her, she threw it back towards him so he wouldn't have to do all the work. His fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her up towards him, she sat up on her knees. He wrapped a hand around her body and squeezed an ample breast, making her nipple harden.

"Oh my God!" she groaned, enjoying the mixture of pleasure and pain caused by him squeezing her sensitive nipple. He grinned and shushed her, nibbling at her neck in the process. He knew they should be quiet so the kids wouldn't wake up, but her screams encouraged him. His hand moved down her body from her nipple to her clit and she couldn't stay upright anymore.

On nights when she couldn't get enough, pounding into her from behind was his way of wearing her out. It gave her some of the best orgasms of her life and neither of them really knew why. They both just knew they enjoyed it.

"Fuck, that feels so good." she moaned, feeling her end nearing. Rio sped up until Beth's body gave way to an earth shattering climax. The way she was tightening around him bringing on his own climax. He pulled his cock out, wet with her cum, and stroked it until spurts of semen shot onto her lower back and her ass.

"Goddamn, Beth." he said, resting his penis on her ass, the sight damn near making him ready for another round. She knew that. If she wasn't sure of anything else in this world, she was sure she'd always hear "Goddamn, Beth." while Rio looked at the cum he'd sprayed on her ass. This was the only time he was predictable. She'd always stay in the same position while he went to wet a washcloth with warm water and wiped her down. Lying in bed together a few minutes later, Beth put her hand on Rio's bare chest and snuggled her face against his neck.

"I love you." she said, quietly. Sex never made them say that to one another. She didn't know if it was pregnancy hormones, the conversation that occurred in the kitchen earlier, or the fucking they had just done that made her say it. So she didn't even expect a response.

He kissed her forehead. "Love you too." he replied.

* * *

AN: Don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed what you read...or if you didn't! Let me know!


	4. The Judgment

AN: Because this is just a small chapter, I'll be uploading this chapter and the next at the same time! Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think!

* * *

Beth was slowly pushing her cart through the aisles while trying to decide what to cook for dinner when she heard a woman's voice behind her.

"Beth Boland."

She looked back and saw a familiar face that surprised her. She ran into old classmates frequently, but never the one who was determined to steal Dean away from her when they were younger. She laughed to herself when she thought about how if it weren't for her children, she would regret not letting her have him.

"Sonia Allen. How are you?" Beth asked, turning around and smiling out politeness.

"Oh! I am good and I see you are too." Sonia remarked. "You and Dean are brave souls to have another child at your age."

Beth realized that not a thing had changed. Sonia was still a mean girl who would smile in your face while taking a dig at you.

"We're actually not together anymore." Beth cleared her throat, hating the fact that this news probably gave Sonia great joy.

"Hm. Did you remarry?"

"It's complicated." That was the best way she could describe it. "What are you doing in town?"

She was going to try her best to steer the conversation away from her, but Sonia wouldn't have it.

"My mother's birthday. Who's your boyfriend? Fiancé?"

"You don't know him." she answered quickly. "I apologize for the rush, but this seventh month has made me a little easy to tire." She turned around and placed her hands back on her shopping cart.

"We should get together before I fly back out." Sonia suggested.

"Sure." Beth said flatly, not even bothering to turn back around.

The conversation played in her head the whole drive home. The longer she sat in the house doing nothing, the more annoyed she got. She couldn't even enjoy snacking in the kitchen, which had become her favorite thing to do. She had felt the judgment radiating from Sonia's body while they were talking. She knew that everyone was judging her, but the smug look on Sonia's face made her judgment feel ten times worse. Her front door opened and closed and she turned around and saw Rio. He didn't get his usual reaction, she just turned back around and continued nibbling on her mashed avocado and crackers.

"Something wrong?" Rio asked, sensing the tension.

Beth sniffed and frowned. "You reek of marijuana. I told you to always shower before coming here if you were smoking."

"The kids aren't here." Rio shrugged. "And I ain't smoke any. What's really wrong with you?"

At the moment, she loathed how he had grown to know her so much that he could tell when something was on her mind or bothering her.

"I'm sick of everyone judging me." she finally said. "I'm sick of not being able to clearly explain this situation that I carry every day."

"Who gives a damn what people think?" Rio asked, shaking his head.

"I do. I give a damn. We're two different people from two very different worlds. We're fooling ourselves thinking whatever this is will last long."

"It better last a minute. Cause I went legit for you." Rio admitted.

"What?" Beth asked, a smile involuntarily creeping on her face. "You're kidding."

"A dumbass auto shop job."

Beth stood up and walked over to where Rio was leaning onto the kitchen island.

"You can work magic with cars and you know so much about them. It's perfect."

Rio turned to face Beth and smirked. "I'm only doing it for you two. I'm not happy about it."

"Remember the first time we had sex? That night in the abandoned chop shop? I'm going to think about that night if you ever come here all greasy." She pressed her lips to Rio's and smiled until he returned the kiss.

"Alright, so maybe I'm a little happy about it."

She laughed and he smiled, glad to see the reaction he was used to when he visited her.

Later that night, while Lia was kicking Beth's butt from inside her belly, Ruby layed next to her in bed.

"You'll never guess who I ran into at the store today. Sonia Allen."

"Bitchy bitch from high school? Ew."

Beth laughed. "I know! She said Dean and I were brave for having a child at my age. Then inquired about who got me knocked up."

"Sounds like she's still the same." Ruby said, rolling her eyes.

"I can't lie though. It got to me."

Ruby sat up and looked at Beth.

"I am knocked up by someone I can't really explain to people. Definitely can't tell anyone how we met. Embarrassed to admit I got pregnant while I was still married." she explained.

"Beth, you don't have to explain yourself or your situation to anyone. Least of all, that bitchy bitch. We've gotten to see a glimpse of a different Rio over the past few months and not everyone gets that. Not everyone will understand."

Unknowingly driving Ruby's point home, Rio walked in with a bowl of ice cream.

"They ain't have the kind with the brownies so I got red velvet." Rio explained, handing the bowl to Beth.

She sat up and her face lit up. "Perfect!"

"I should know by now that you never want what you say you want." he said, shaking his head.

"Thank you." she said, kissing him before he left back out.

"See? That's the guy we get to see. Forget about what anyone else around here says. That's the guy who knocked you up."

Beth laughed. "It is."

"So don't let anyone make you feel bad or guilty about it. As long as you're happy and safe, who cares?"

Right then and there, Beth made a conscious decision to try and let the judgment and people's snide comments roll off her back. Because the truth was that they had no idea what she and Rio had together. They didn't know what they were like together or what they felt for one another. So they couldn't possibly understand.


	5. The Birthday

AN: Make sure you read the chapter before this one. I uploaded them both at the same time since the chapter before this one was a little short. This chapter starts off sweet, then goes into some smutty smut! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

* * *

The next couple of months had not only flown by, but all the weeks seemed to bleed together in Beth's head. Rio had gone from spending the night a few times a week to spending almost every night at Beth's. He still hated his job at the auto shop, but Beth made it better because when she said seeing him all greasy turned her on, she meant it. Speaking of, when she rolled over to say good morning to him, his side of the bed was empty. The peace and quiet of the house was suspicious. She sat up.

"Rio?" she asked into the air, not even loud enough for him to hear if he was any further than outside the bedroom door. She got up and went downstairs, searching throughout the house until she noticed Rio's car wasn't in the driveway. She sat down on the couch and caressed her nine month pregnant belly; Lia was particularly active in the mornings, which was cute at first but was mostly painful now.

"Hey, you. If you could please be still for Mommy this morning, I promise to feed you whatever you want today."

That was going to happen anyway. She laughed when Lia swept what felt like a knee right across her belly, already being a problem child. She heard car doors slamming and knew it was her brood on their way in, but she didn't bother getting up.

She heard the door unlock and it swung open. One by one, they came in and instantly the peace and quiet was gone.

"Mommy's right here!" Emma shouted towards the outside of the door, she assumed at Rio.

"I am right here. Where have you all been?"

"You can say it now." she heard Rio's voice say from outside.

"Surprise!" all the kids screamed while Rio stepped inside with arms full of balloons and flowers.

"What are you doing?" Beth asked, laughing.

"For your birthday." Kenny answered.

"My birthday isn't until tomorrow." she said, catapulting herself off of the couch and following Rio and the kids into the kitchen.

"But would it be such a surprise then? Happy early birthday."

"How sweet. Thank you." she said, giving Rio a really quick peck on the lips. "And thank you guys! This was the best surprise."

"We're going to cook for breakfast for you!" Jane informed her.

"That…scares me, but thank you." Beth said, smiling ear to ear.

"And a secret bracelet!" Danny revealed.

"That was for tomorrow, you goof." Kenny said.

"We're obviously not good at surprises." Rio said, shaking his head.

Beth giggled. "It's okay. Since I know now, can I have it now?"

"I guess." Rio answered, going into his pocket and pulling out a small jewelry box and handing it to Beth.

She opened it and smiled. Taking a closer look, she saw heart charms on the bracelet and on the backs of them were names engraved. She read them each out loud.

"Emma. Danny. Kenny. Jane. Lia. Oh my goodness, how amazing. I love it." She gave all of the kids a kiss on the forehead and thanked them. "Can you guys go put this on my dresser and wait for me to come up?"

They ran upstairs and Beth looked at Rio.

"You're so sneaky." she said, hands on the side of his face and kissing him the way she couldn't when the kids were around.

"I'm using it for good now though." he laughed.

She smiled. "You are. I really appreciate this. And you."

"It's your day. Whatever you want."

"I want to eat breakfast with you all. Then I want to binge watch Mad Men."

"Why do you watch that boring shit?" Rio interrupted.

"It's not boring, it's genius. Then tonight, Dean will get the kids and we…" Beth nibbled on his ear.

"I like this plan." Rio said, grinning.

That evening, Beth had showered and freshened up while Rio dropped the children off at Dean's. She turned the lights down and lit candles. She asked Lia to calm down and stop moving so much.

"Two more weeks until you get here and you haven't listened to a word I've said yet." she said, laughing and cradling her swell.

She sat on Rio's side of the bed when she heard him downstairs and he stopped dead in his tracks when he walked through the bedroom door. There she sat in a red lace bra that was barely containing her full breasts, but it didn't matter anyway because he could see right through it. His eyes roamed down her body and spotted a red thong that he could only see from the side because from the front, it was hidden by her bump.

"Looks good. But that's gonna be off in two seconds flat." he said, coming out of his clothes.

The way they made love that evening reminded her of how lucky she was to have someone who loved her so much, they were willing to give up a lifelong lifestyle to be with her. Someone who took on responsibilities they didn't have to just to make her happy. There was something so satisfactorily languid about how their bodies intertwined and moved together that evening. Something so animalistic about how he made her cum over and over again until she couldn't take it anymore.

The next morning, she woke up to his chest pressed against her back, both of them still bare naked from last night. She placed a hand on his cheek as he kissed her neck and pulled away the covers that were blocking him from seeing her body.

"Good morning." she greeted him, voice still soft from sleep.

"Happy birthday." he said between kisses, hand stroking her hip and the curve of her bump.

He had come a long way in the pregnant sex department. In the beginning, he was always worried about hurting the baby. Then he was worried about her hearing them have sex. But now, if he was in a sweet and loving mood, he would caress her round belly if the position allowed it. It felt good to Beth. Physically of course, but it also felt good that he still loved her body.

His hand moved between her legs and she moaned as he began to massage her clit. She opened her legs a little, giving him more room to work. His fingers went to her entrance and swirled in the slickness they found there. Spooning almost always led to this and neither of them complained about that. It had become one of their favorite ways to start the morning. The further along Beth got into her pregnancy, the more tired she was and things had changed for the time being. She loved to ride him and still did occasionally, but most days she just didn't have the energy. She didn't like him being on top for now because she needed to control how deeply he penetrated her. Most of their favorites had either become uncomfortable or impossible thanks to her belly. But this they had learned to love.

She felt his rock hard cock pressed against her ass and reached her hand behind her to grab hold of it. She put the head of it at her slick entrance and stroked it while Rio played with her wet clit. He slowly entered her and she moaned every inch of the way. Gripping her hip, he held her still as his strokes sped up. Nothing but the sound of their moans, she remembered she could be as loud as she wanted.

"Oh, Rio!" she moaned and she could tell that did something to him.

The way he started pounding into her gave her all the energy she needed. She moved her hips until he wasn't inside of her, then turned to face him. She placed a hand on his chest, then kissed him as she gently pushed him onto his back. When she stopped, he hungrily watched her turn away from him and straddle him. Propped up with her knees on either side of his thighs, she lifted her body as he grabbed his cock. She slowly let herself down on it, pleasured by the noises coming from behind her. She knew he always enjoyed the view he had in this position so she let her hips move in slow circles as she moved up and down.

"Fuck, Beth." he moaned in a feral, raspy voice.

He put his hands on her hips and gave them a squeeze, watching her slickness cover his cock as she took him in and out of her. It was always a challenge keeping his hips from returning the thrusts and he failed every time. His hips worked to match her rhythm, which was slowly speeding up, and she leaned over a little, placing her hands on the bed. She came down harder on him to make him feel good, but the way his cock hit the inside of her took her by surprise and made her scream out in pleasure.

"Oh, fuck! Mmm!" she moaned, biting her lip and bouncing harder on his dick. "You feel so fucking good!"

She fell over even more as her climax took over her body and nearly cried tears of joy when Rio kept pumping in and out of her, prolonging her orgasm until his hit. She stayed on top of him for a little bit, both of them breathless. She knew she'd miss the feel of him inside of her, but she got up and layed next to him, resting an arm and a leg across his body while her belly was pressed against his side.

"The best way to start a birthday morning." she whispered into his ear.

Rio smiled, then got distracted by the feel of the movement going on inside of Beth.

She exhaled. "She's hurting me."

He placed a hand on her stomach and gave it a rub.

"Stop hurting your mama." he said, eyes drifting closed.

She laughed at the sense of accomplishment she felt knowing she had worn him out this early in the day. And she knew that if this is how it started, this was going to be the best birthday she had in a long time.

AN: I really hope if you're reading this, you're enjoying it! Leave a review or message me and let me know what you think! And thanks so, so much for taking time to read it!


	6. The Baby

AN: Beth and Rio run into a little trouble this chapter, but then it's all happy baby love before the trouble rears its head again in the next chapter.

* * *

The day before Beth was scheduled to go into the hospital and be induced, she wanted nothing more than to just rest in the peace and quiet of her bed, hoping the mild contractions she felt every few days would give her a break. The kids were with Dean, Rio was downstairs last time she checked, and although Lia seemed to be preparing for a boxing match or soccer game inside of her, she was trying to get as much sleep as possible. When she wasn't sleeping, she was going over her mental checklist and trying her best to be sure everything was prepared and in order for the baby. Banging on her front door pulled her out of her thoughts and she huffed. There was never a time that Rio didn't take his time answering the door and it annoyed her to no end. This time was no different. She was fed up after the first few rounds of banging.

"Rio!" she yelled. "The door!"

Then came the nonstop ringing of her doorbell.

She dragged herself out of the bed as quickly as she could, which wasn't very quickly. By the time she got downstairs, the banging and ringing had stopped.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, talking to no one because no one was around.

She peered out of the window to the front of the house and didn't see a car. She figured whoever was in such dire need of her attention had given up. But she thought since she had already used up time and energy to get downstairs, she might as well grab a snack or two. She walked into the kitchen and immediately spotted a man dressed in all black standing outside of her door through the shade panels that were only halfway closed. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest as she stopped walking and protectively put a hand on the top and side of her belly. She didn't think the strange man could see her because he didn't seem to react to her being there. She slowly started to back away from the kitchen until she heard the handle of the front door turning. Her feet suddenly felt lighter and she hurriedly started to make her way up the stairs.

"Hey." she heard a familiar voice say, making her turn around.

"Rio, there is a man in the backyard." she said in a hushed voice. "I don't know who he is."

"Go upstairs." he instructed her, making his way to the nearest closet. "Beth, go."

She didn't want to, but she did as he told her. He grabbed and loaded the gun he pulled from the top shelf of the closet and made his way into the kitchen. Beth was upstairs, being as quiet as she could. Her heavy breathing the only sound in the room. The only sound in the house. She didn't even hear any door opening or closing so she wasn't sure if Rio was still inside or not. She was seconds away from panicking and had already picked up her phone, ready to dial 911. So much was running through her head, she didn't know whether not hearing anything for a few minutes was good or bad. She worked up the nerve to sneak downstairs and as soon as she opened the bedroom door, Rio was making his way in.

"Oh my God, you scared me. Who was that?" she asked as he bypassed her and came straight into the bedroom.

"Don't worry about it." he answered and that understandably wasn't good enough for her. "It was a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding that almost gave me a heart attack. Tell me what that was about."

He sighed as he took a seat on the side of the bed, contemplating whether to tell her the whole truth or not. He wasn't used to having to answer to people.

"I owe him a favor. He needs me to move something for him."

"Oh no. No." Beth responded, shaking her head, and got a glare that looked like it could shoot daggers from Rio's eyes. "You're done with that."

"It's just a one time thing." he explained.

"You don't understand. My children could've been here. That man could've broken in. Anything could've happened."

"Yeah, but it didn't." he said nonchalantly and that's what pissed her off the most.

"You want to do this the day before I have our daughter? What are you thinking?"

He didn't respond and he barely looked like he was listening.

"Leave if you want to get back into that. I won't have it here." she said, walking to her side of the bed.

They sat with their backs towards each other in dead silence. She heard him get up and walk out of the room, then heard the front door slam. Her breathing sped up and she didn't know if it was anger or sadness welling up like the tears in her eyes. She didn't have the energy to scream or cry though so it didn't matter to her what emotion was taking over her body. What she did know was that whatever it was, she couldn't handle it. She figured sleep was the only answer so that's what she did while tears soaked her pillow.

It was dark out when she woke up and she knew she should get up and close the curtains, but she just couldn't move herself to do it. She reached over to the nightstand beside her bed and turned the lamp on before turning over and finding herself face to face with Rio.

"I thought you left." she said quietly, her voice shaky.

He shook his head. "I stepped out for a minute."

Neither of them knew what to say to the other. He just slid closer to her and she placed a hand on the side of his face, her thumb stroking back and forth. He did the same with her belly that was between them. He could barely see her tears, but he could hear her sniffling.

"You know I don't like that." he said, his voice as quiet as hers.

"You don't play by their rules anymore. Don't let them drag you back in."

"You're right. Now don't think about it anymore. Just think about tomorrow."

He smiled and so did she.

"She's coming." Beth said, putting her hand on top of Rio's.

The next morning, before sunrise, Beth and Rio woke up at the sound of their alarm. For a second, while still half asleep, they loathed having to be awake so early. Then they remembered why and happily shuffled out of bed and got ready. The drive to the hospital was quiet as Beth had fallen asleep soon after they left the house. Rio glanced over to the passenger seat and smirked at how she had fallen asleep with her hand resting on her belly. He couldn't believe that huge bump, which he'd never call it in front of Beth, was about to be gone and his baby girl was about to be here instead. It was now his job to protect and provide for a family. He was determined to succeed at it and it was going to be on his own terms. He loved Beth, he loved her children, and he loved his unborn daughter. And he would do whatever he thought was best to do in order to make sure they were all alright. But Beth disagreeing with him weighed heavy on his mind, way heavier than anyone else's opinion of him and his actions.

Beth's eyes fluttered open and she turned her head towards him. She placed her left elbow on the center console and stretched her hand out. As if it were something they did every day for many, many years, Rio instinctively laced the fingers of his right hand between hers and squeezed her hand. They stayed just like that for the rest of the ride.

All of this was new to Rio, but he tried his best to keep up and pay attention as Beth was admitted and hooked up to machines. He learned that the two large bands wrapped around her stomach were to keep track of Lia's heart rate and to monitor Beth's contractions, which were few and far between. He heard the nurse explain that since she was dilated four centimeters and effaced 80%, they could start her on Pitocin to help her contract before he watched them hang a second IV bag.

Nearly six hours later, Annie and Ruby had arrived and walked in mid-contraction. Beth was laying on her side, eyes squeezed shut, arm reached out and hand gripping Rio's hand as hard as possible. She deeply inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, unable to greet her newly arrived guests. When the contraction eased off, she opened her eyes and let go of Rio's hand.

"I can't do this. I thought I could, but I can't." she said, eyes filling with tears as Ruby and Annie walked to her bedside.

"Beth, you're a badass. This is going to be a breeze." Ruby assured her.

"That's right." Annie chimed in. "You want auntie to get down there and sweet talk her out?"

"Whatever gets her out of me." Beth answered, letting out a deep breath.

Annie started to lift the blanket that was keeping Beth modest before Beth snatched it back down.

"Not down there, Annie!" Beth said, laughing along with Rio and Ruby.

She needed a laugh, which is why she needed her girls.

"Can't say I'm not loyal." Annie said, shrugging her shoulders.

"None of my other babies were this stubborn so early on. I wonder why." Beth joked.

The three of them looked at Rio and he could do nothing but smirk.

"Ladies. She's just strong minded." he replied, softly chuckling.

Within the next few hours, Dean and the kids had come by to check on her, then came Stan with Sara and Harry in tow. When the time had finally come for her to deliver, Dean and Stan went into the waiting room with the kids while Ruby, Annie, and Rio stood by Beth's side. The nurses modified the bed to position it more like a chair. Beth felt way more comfortable being supported and resting without having to lay on her back. The more comfortable she was, the more she felt like she could do this. Although during the pushing with each contraction, her faith in herself and her body wavered. She had Ruby and Annie on either side of her, encouraging her, and Rio standing right beside her, holding her hand, kissing her forehead, and whispering in her ear when he felt she needed it.

Rio was so adamant about not seeing everything that was happening down there and Beth was perfectly fine with that. But in the moment, he couldn't help himself; he snuck glances whenever the doctor, Ruby, or Annie announced what they could see. He half expected to be grossed out when he saw that she was crowning, but he was just awestruck. Awestruck at how strong Beth was being to bring their daughter into the world. After a few more pushes, Rio's eyes widened when he saw Lia's head out. Her shoulders came out a few seconds and a little more pushing later and the rest was easy sailing. Rio's mouth agape, corners turned up, he watched the doctor lay her on Beth's chest. She was covered in stuff he didn't know the medical name of, but she was finally here and he couldn't be more proud.

"Can you believe it?" Beth asked, looking back and forth between Lia and Rio, smile as wide as it could be.

There wasn't a dry eye between Beth, Ruby, and Annie, and then Rio joined them, tears running down his face before he could catch them.

He shook his head and put his lips on Beth's, kissing her before audibly answering.

"I can't believe it."

* * *

AN: Thanks so, so much for reading! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!


	7. The Truth

With just a month of living under her belt, Lia had no problem holding anyone's attention and getting them wrapped around her little finger. Wide blue-grey eyes that were a little darker than they were at birth and slick, dark hair, she rested in her daddy's arms as he played with her adorably tiny fingers while her mommy slept in the bed right next to them. For the first few weeks at home, no one but the kids got any sleep in the house. Lia woke up multiple times throughout the night. But over the past week, she had turned over a new leaf. She let her parents get a little more sleep and only woke up once of twice. She loved to be held; Beth blamed Rio for that. She mostly only cried when she wanted to eat and she loved to eat. Rio wouldn't admit it, but he was kind of happy to not have to share Beth's boobs when she decided to exclusively express milk for Lia instead of continuing to breastfeed. Out of habit, Beth didn't sleep for long stretches at a time. She opened her eyes and smiled, taking in a sight she truly believed she would never grow tired of.

"Did you wake her up?" Beth asked. Because she knew he did that sometimes no matter how much he denied it.

"I swear I didn't." he answered, looking at Beth sneakily and laughing. "I didn't."

Beth rolled her eyes and put her face close to Lia's head and inhaled.

"You're the best smelling baby ever." she said and she meant it. Beth loved the smell of babies, but none ever smelled as amazing as her own. "You can handle her while I take a shower?"

"Yeah, I got her." Rio answered.

"Where's her other sock?"

"It fell somewhere, but we were too lazy to pick it up. Right, Lia?" Rio replied, not taking his eyes off of the precious face of the little one in his arms.

Beth walked around the bed and spotted the sock halfway under Rio's side.

"There's no telling how many socks are under here."

She got on her knees and moved the sham and saw a black bag that she was sure wasn't always there.

"What's this bag?" she asked, grabbing the sock and standing up.

The look on Rio's face confused her. He kind of looked just as surprised as she did, then he looked like wheels were turning in his head. He didn't answer her right away, only looked at her like she would just forget her question and go take her shower. But she didn't of course.

He swallowed. "Some cash from Big Mike. I ain't doing nothing but giving it somebody else."

"Rio, I don't care what you're doing with it. I care that you have it. It's like everything I've said just went in one ear and-"

There was a knock on the bedroom door.

"What is it?" she asked, trying not to get an attitude with whichever kid was knocking.

Jane peeked in and her eyes went straight to the baby.

"Since Lia's awake, can she come downstairs and play with us?"

"We're busy right now, honey." Beth answered before Rio gave his own answer.

"Yeah. Let's go play." Rio said, getting up and grabbing the sock from Beth's hand before leaving out.

You would think there's no way to avoid someone in the same house, taking care of the same baby, but Rio made a way. He knew if at least one of the children were around, Beth wouldn't bring up the bag of fake cash. That plan fell through when it was time for the kids to go to bed. After tucking the kids in, Beth got into bed and started feeding Lia. She just knew if she ignored Rio long enough, he'd come to bed. And she was right. He could never stay away from her too long.

"You want me to burp her?" he asked, sitting on the bed.

"Nope. I would like to talk about the bag under the bed though. Does it have anything to do with the man who was banging on my door a month ago?"

"All he wanted was for me to get that cash for him. Now all I have to do is give it to him. Nothing else."

Beth shook her head. "You don't get it. I spent 20 years with an asshole who didn't care about what I thought. I'm not doing that again."

"When you wanted to take care of your family, you robbed a grocery store and a hell of a lot more. You don't get to judge me no more."

He didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but he did.

"I never judged you. If I did, we wouldn't be sitting here right now." she said, taking the bottle out of Lia's mouth and laying her on her shoulder.

"Let me burp her." He usually didn't have to ask or demand, but tonight was different.

"No. I got it."

She started patting Lia's back, trying her best to focus on the adorable cooing instead of the anger she was feeling towards Rio. She thought about how when she used to beg him to go legit, she would threaten to keep Lia away from him. She remembered how broken he always looked when she did that. She knew it was wrong and she felt horrible about doing it each and every time. But here she was, doing it again. She finished burping Lia and held her out to Rio.

"That's so fucked up." he said, taking Lia and resting her on his chest as he leaned back against the headboard. It's like he was thinking the same thing as Beth. "I'm not Dean and you can't talk bullshit to me for how he treated you. Or act like Lia's just yours."

She sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I just really don't want to be in that situation again or have to depend on someone to make the right choices."

"No matter what, y'all are my top priority. I wouldn't do anything I thought would put you in danger. Come here." He moved Lia to the right side of his chest, making room for Beth to lay her head on the left side.

"I do trust you, Rio, and I don't judge you for anything. Do what you have to do, but please just be honest with me. Always tell me the truth."

Beth lifted her head from Rio's chest when there was a knock on the bedroom door before Emma peeked in.

"I had a bad dream."

"Me and Lia will come sit with you until you fall asleep." Rio offered, making Emma smile.

"That's exactly what she wants when she comes in here and says that." Beth said.

"She's spoiled just like you and this one. And the truth? There's a real big payout for me getting him this cash. But it's a one time thing."

She grabbed his hand and gave him a kiss before he walked out of the room. She remembered what that itch for more money felt like once she started her brief stint in the game and if he wanted to scratch that itch, so be it.


	8. The Need

AN: This chapter contains smutty smut! Just a warning! But if you do read, let me know what you think!

* * *

The day Rio had been waiting for, Beth's 6 week postpartum check-up, had come and gone. He didn't want to pressure her, but he knew she had been cleared to have sex. Yet here they were, two and half months after she'd given birth, still sexless. He had been denied so much lately that he just gave up. Until today. With the kids at Ruby's and Lia asleep in her bassinet, he was going to make his move. His plan was to be a tough guy and demand it, but that melted away when Beth came out of the bathroom in just her bra and panties and sat on her side of the bed.

"I need some." he said, mad that it came out as more of a whine than it should have.

She laughed and turned to look at him.

"I fucking need some." he repeated, crawling over to her and putting a hand on her thigh. "You walk around here looking so fine and won't let me have none."

Breastfeeding then pumping milk for Lia had gotten her slimmer pretty fast, but she still didn't feel like herself most of the time.

"Is what I do for you not enough?" she asked, alluding to her giving him head countless times to hold him over.

"Hell yeah, but I need more." he drawled, his eyes following his hand as it made its way between her legs.

"She'll probably wake up soon." She tried to hold back a moan that was almost bursting out of her throat.

Her phone rang, but that didn't stop Rio from pressing his fingers against the crotch of Beth's panties. She reached over to her phone on the nightstand, sliding her finger across it to answer, then clicking the speaker option.

"Hey." she said, trying to sound like there wasn't anything going on that was making her wet.

"Since Ruby has the kids, her house has turned into a pizza party palace, which me and Sadie are totally crashing. Grab Lia and come on." Annie's voice said through the phone's speaker.

Rio had pushed Beth's panties to the side and had begun to play in the delicious wetness that was beginning to manifest between her legs. Her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat so Rio answered for her.

"Beth can't go, but you can take Lia." he said before taking skin on Beth's shoulder between his teeth.

"Um, okay. On my way."

Beth pressed the button to end the call and she couldn't hold back the moan anymore. And as soon as her moan stopped, so did Rio.

"Get up and get her ready to go. I'm getting me some today."

She smiled, knowing that she was in for a treat. It wasn't often that they went long without sex, especially months, but she knew how animalistic Rio got when he hadn't fucked her in a while. She put a robe on and got Lia ready and reluctantly sent her with Annie. When she walked back into her bedroom, she was welcomed with the sight of Rio ass naked.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked, wanting to giggle but not able to because the thought of that cock being inside of her in a few minutes made her weak.

"I told you I need it. I ain't playing." he answered as he pulled her robe off and gently pushed her onto the bed.

He roughly removed her panties and tossed them to the floor as he kissed and nibbled on her thighs. He took this thumbs and spread her lips apart before devouring her like he hadn't eaten in months, which is exactly what he felt like. He had missed the taste of her and he wanted every last drop of what she was offering. This sensation felt new all over again to Beth and she couldn't control herself; her hips jerking up to meet his warm, wet mouth. It wasn't long before her thighs trapped his head between her legs as she came. His tongue lapping at her pussy, cleaning her off and savoring that taste he became addicted to after his first taste of it.

She reached down and caressed his face after her thighs released their hold. He brought his lips to hers and let the weight of his body press against her. She couldn't remember the last time they had so sloppily kissed, but this called for it. Their lips covered with a mixture of their saliva and her arousal, she took his tongue into her mouth and sucked on it while her hand reached between them and stroked his rock hard cock. She took advantage of him moaning into her mouth, taking his bottom lip between her teeth. Just eating her out had him ready to burst and the hand stroking him wasn't helping matters. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from him before grabbing his his cock himself and rubbing the head of it against her clit. She sat up for just a second to remove her bra. She massaged both her breasts and Rio couldn't help but lift his gaze to watch.

He slowly entered her, giving her time to get adjusted. Once he had filled her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him still.

"I missed this so much." she told him in a loud whisper. "Now fuck me."

And he did just that. Not holding back at all, he pounded into her and she could've sworn that a fuck like this is what got her pregnant with Lia. He was penetrating her so deeply and so quickly, she didn't think she could handle much more. Rio took his left hand, grabbed both of Beth's wrists, pinning her hands to the bed above her head before bringing his right hand to her breast, pinching her nipple. His roughness took her by surprise and he swore he could feel her get tighter around him. As much as she loved watching him fuck her, she was so close to the edge, she couldn't. She let her head fall to the side until her cheek was pressed into the pillow beneath her, her eyes squeezing shut involuntarily. She felt Rio's hand abandon her breast before she felt it on her face. He roughly grabbed her jaw and turned her face back towards him, making her eyes shoot open.

"Look at me." he demanded, his voice commanding and strong.

She worked hard to keep her eyes open as he started fucking her harder, moving his thumb into her mouth. She sucked on it to keep her quiet, but that didn't last long.

"Fuck, Rio! Fuck!" she screamed as she came.

As much as he wanted to keep pounding into her soaking wet goodness, he felt his own climax approaching and knew better than to finish inside of her.

"Come in my mouth." she moaned, barely getting the words out.

He pulled out of her and quickly got on his knees right beside the pillow that her head rested on. She rolled over onto her side and took his hard, wet dick into her mouth. His body went still as he shot cum on Beth's lips and in her mouth. Her hand worked it all out and she swallowed every bit he had to offer. She licked what was left on her lips and swallowed that too.

"Shit, Beth. That was even better than I remember." he complimented, laying down next to her.

"It was." she breathed. "But we've been able to fuck for nine months without a condom. We can't do that anymore."

He laughed because he too remembered that fucking like that is how they made Lia.

* * *

AN: That was fun to write! Be sure to leave a review and let me know what you think!


	9. The Comeback

This afternoon was turning out to be the most interesting one that this house had seen in a long while. Rio sat at the dining room table, leaned back with his hands on the back of his head. He looked around the table where a few other guys dressed in all black just like himself sat. Sitting on the table in front of them was a few hundred grand, sitting neatly in stacks.

"We back in business, fellas." Rio said, half smile plastered on his face.

Before he could say anything else, he heard the front door open and heard Beth's voice.

"We're kid free. Well, four out of five gone is as close as kid-free as we're…" she stopped in her tracks, legs and voice both, when she walking into the dining room. "Oh."

"We done here." he said and his boys knew that was their cue to leave.

Rio grabbed Lia's carseat from Beth's hand and sat it on the table while the men walked to the kitchen and out the backdoor. He took Lia out of her seat and smiled like the cash sitting next to it was as normal as a 24 hour day.

"So you're doing this, huh?" Beth asked, sitting the babybag and her purse in a now empty chair. She didn't wait for an answer because the answer was obvious. "How much is this?"

"Almost 500 grand." he answered, lightly bouncing Lia in his arms.

It was weird to her. Of course, she knew the Rio before becoming a dad. Gritty, slightly disrespectful, always dressed in dark clothes and making sure people knew he was a threat. Then she knew the Rio after becoming a dad. Smiley, bouncing, just as excited for his own first skin to skin contact with their newborn as Beth was. Now those two Rios were colliding or at least that's what it felt like to her. She knew he was the same man he had always been, but it really felt like a happy medium of two different Rios that she was witnessing.

"Half a million dollars? Fake?"

He looked at her before answering.

"Real as hell." It was always in the back of his mind how much honesty meant to Beth. "I wanted to get it all washed so you wouldn't be worried about anything."

"Oh, I'm still worried. Just...seeing it is a little easing."

She looked up from the money to look at him and they made eye contact.

"You mad?" he asked.

"I'm not. You had this whole life before me, Rio, I understand that. I fell in love with you while you were still doing this. You've changed so much for Lia. And for me and the kids."

She walked closer to him and put her hand on the side of his face.

"Please, just be careful. A hundred times more than you were before. And don't bring trouble into this house."

Rio nodded and brought his lips down to hers, kissing her longer than he expected to. Lia's fussing broke them apart.

"She only does that because she wants all your attention, I'm sure of it." Beth said, laughing.

"Cause you love your papi, right, Lia?"

"Is that so, Lia? Well, he can keep you tonight while Mama is at Auntie Ruby's for girls' night."

"Wait, what?" Rio said, making Beth laugh and walk away. "Let's rethink this."

That night, during a commercial break and after more than a fair share of wine, Beth figured now was as good of a time as any to let her girls know what's been going on.

"So, guys." she started, then cleared her throat. "Rio did something."

"Beth, you know how much sentences like that scare me." Ruby replied.

Beth laughed. "No, it's nothing bad. But it is interesting."

"Well, what is it?" the ever impatient Annie asked.

"He made a comeback." Beth answered. "Started small with washing a few hundred thousand and it worked. I didn't ask questions so I don't know how yet. What I do know is that my dining room table was covered in cash when I got home from dropping the kids off at Dean's."

"So does that mean we're back in the game?" Annie inquired, smirking at Ruby and Beth.

"Really?" Ruby asked. "Was all the crap we went through last time not enough for you? We're all doing okay, let's keep it that way."

Beth agreed. "Ruby's right."

"That's easy for you to say, Beth. You're getting a cut now whether you do anything or not. Doesn't hurt to be banging the top gangbanger."

If she hadn't been a little wine tipsy, she would have defended her relationship with Rio to Annie because everyone knew it was more than just banging. That was clear.

"I can't argue with you there." she countered instead. "Really though, I'm not even sure what his plan is yet or how he washed this first load."

"He's not scared of getting back into this?" Ruby asked.

"I don't think so. He was doing perfectly fine before we came along and started making a mess of his world."

Ruby could tell Beth had more to say by the pensive look on her face, but since she didn't say anything else, she let it slide. Beth sobered up before driving home and she thought about how much she didn't know about Rio's world before she, Ruby, and Annie upended it. She was surprised to see Rio asleep when she got home because he usually stayed up later than her. She carefully scooped sleeping Lia up from her side of the bed and took her to her crib. She lazily undressed and crawled into bed, reaching her arm out and letting her hand rub up and down Rio's naked chest and stomach. She felt him move around a little before he let out a sigh.

"You two won't let me sleep." he said, not even bothering to open his eyes.

Beth smiled.

"Rio, you said before that you started with drugs. When did you start that?"

"We're talking about this right now?"

She didn't answer so he obliged.

"When I was 17. Back then, I wasn't a boss like I am now."

"Now you have men who will kill for you. Did you ever have to kill anyone?"

"No, Beth. Shot a few motherfuckers though." he smirked in the dark and they both swore she could sense that. "What's with the 21 questions?"

"I just wanted to know more."

"This can't wait until tomorrow? I just want sleep."

Beth happily gave in because the wine and late night was doing her in anyway. It wasn't more than a few minutes before her head joined her hand on Rio's chest and her eyes drifted closed. She woke up the next morning with her head on Rio's pillow instead and a freshly awake Lia cooing in her cosleeper.

"Hi, baby." Beth croaked, sleep evident in her voice. "Good morning."

Beth assumed Rio had started his day before sunrise this morning and it wasn't a welcomed change to their routine. But looking in the face of her adorable six month old baby girl didn't allow her to sulk for more than a minute. She got up out of bed and got herself and Lia ready for whatever they'd get into today, which ended up starting with a call from the kids talking about how much they missed their baby sister. The rest of the day was pretty quiet for them and the best thing about it was the awesome nap they had in between doing nothing and nothing.

By the time they had their nighttime baths and got into bed, Rio finally returned home.

"I was hoping she was still up." Rio said before leaning across the bed to kiss Beth.

"I don't like that you were gone all day." Beth admitted, not needing any prompt to express her feelings.

"It's just like I'm still working at the shop." he replied before he walked over to Lia's cosleeper and softly pressed a kiss into her smooth hair.

"You were never gone literally all day. And this is so much different and way more dangerous. I was worried all day."

"Look. I'm sorry, okay? You having second thoughts about being okay with this?"

"I still feel the same about it. I prefer you don't do it, but I understand and I'm okay with it. But being here with this mini girl version of you," she laughed "You were just on my mind all day and I hoped nothing went wrong."

"Everything is good, Beth."

"I have more rules." she said, sitting up.

Rio chuckled. "Such a mama. What are they?"

"You have to keep in contact with me when you're gone or else I'll worry my head off about whether me and the kids will ever see you again."

"You got it." Rio said, taking his shirt off.

"Stop undressing because you're distracting me. Another thing, you have keep me in the know as much as possible."

He dropped his pants and stepped out of them before replying. "You got it. That it?"

She looked him up and down before answering.

"It is for now. Get over here."

* * *

AN: Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think!


	10. The Replay

AN: Warning! This chapter is pretty much just smutty Brio hotness! Enjoy!

* * *

These first couple of months had gone very smoothly; load by load, Rio began to get more fake cash to be washed. It took no time for him to be back on top. He had made new arrangements with business all over the state, had men in place to make sure the arrangements were respected and all profits were handled correctly. On the rare occasion that Annie or Ruby took Lia off of her hands, Beth would accompany Rio on drops that he knew would go smoothly. When he told her she couldn't come to tonight's drop, she knew something was up. Either something was happening that he didn't want her to know about or he didn't trust whoever he was meeting. Or both. So many wild things ran through her head while she waiting up for him to get home. When she finally heard his car pull up, she met him at the door.

"What in the world took so long?" she asked as soon as he walked in. She shut and locked the door behind him and followed him to the dining room table.

"Nothing." he answered with a straight face, wincing as he dropped two heavy duffle bags onto the table.

She looked at his bloodied and bruised hands and stepped closer to him, taking them into her own hands.

"Rio. This isn't nothing."

"It is compared to the other dude."

"What happened?" she asked, running her finger across his knuckles and soliciting a groan from him.

"Goddamn fresh face tried to get over on me. His dude should've warned him that was a no go."

"I hate this, Rio. I really do."

Rio shook his head. "This isn't even the worst part."

"What else happened? Did you do something else to him?"

"I should have but no. The worst part is that we were doing the drop at the park and all I could think about was tasting you."

An involuntary smile worked its way onto Beth's face.

"That first night that changed everything." she recalled, the memory as clear as day playing in her head.

"Tell me about it. Make me feel better." He pulled out a chair and sat down, looking up at Beth who was grinning like a cat who finally caught the mouse.

"Well, you told me to meet you at the park. You were late, just let me remind you. But I waited for you."

"Yeah, you did." he interjected.

"Hush." she giggled. "But I refused to walk to your car so you got in mine. And you played this raunchy song because you said it reminded you of how well you could go down."

"Then what, mama?"

"Then you said you'd prove it if I got in the backseat. So I did." She knelt on the floor between Rio's legs. "And you crawled back to me and you kissed me."

"Mmhm." he agreed, leaning down to kiss her multiple times.

"It was soft." Kiss. "And sweet." Kiss. "Then rough." Kiss. "And it made me so hot." Kiss. "Then you moved your hands up my dress."

"And you wasn't wearing no fucking panties." Rio finished for her, remembering how horny that discovery made him that night.

"I wasn't." she said, shaking her head. "Then you undid my dress and you looked at me like I was something really delicious to eat. Like I was the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen."

She pulled her shirt over her head and threw it aside.

"Like you're looking at me now." she said, smiling, eyes gleaming. She reached her hand behind her back, unhooking her bra and pulling it off, letting her breasts free. "And you got me completely naked."

"Fuck." he said, then took his bottom lip between his teeth, staring at her hardening pink nipples.

She paused her story to remove his shirt as well. She brought her warm mouth to his left nipple while her hands unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. Once his left nipple had been sufficiently sucked and nibbled on, her mouth moved to cover his right nipple as she dipped her hand into his briefs and put in a good bit of work to pull his cock out. She stroked it slowly as she kissed him, accepting his tongue into her mouth with no hesitation. She broke their kiss to continue her recollection.

"And you put your hand between my legs and got me so wet. Until I asked you to use your mouth on me."

"Begged me." he corrected with a smirk.

"Because I needed you so badly." she admitted. "Is that what you want? My mouth?"

He nodded. "Please."

She smiled at the memory of her saying "please" to him that night, then gave him what he wanted. Beth took Rio's hard dick into her mouth so slowly, it seemed like torture. Then it felt like the greatest reward when she sped up. She took as much of him into her mouth as she could and let her hand do the rest of the work. Saliva and pre-cum gathered at the head of Rio's penis, she loudly slurped it up into her mouth before letting it drip out on his shaft. She took him into her mouth again and let it keep going until it hit the back of her throat. The way this had Rio squirming made her think about practicing this and doing it all the time.

She took him out of her mouth to catch her breath before she tried it again. She did it with a little more ease the second time and every time afterwards. Rio had never made her doubt her oral skills before, but she could definitely tell a difference in him from the other times and this time. His movements were getting erratic and she felt that familiar jerk in his hips. That jerk along with the sounds he was making were telltale signs of his impending rupture. She took him in her mouth once more and let the head of his cock rest at the back of her throat for as long as she could.

"Aaahhh fuck, Beth." he groaned and she took it as a compliment.

She slowly sucked on him as she removed him from her mouth, then spit all contents on his rock hard erection. She brought herself up a little and he met her, immediately kissing her roughly, showing his appreciation for her hard work. With her lips still against his, she spoke when his tongue allowed her.

"You finger fucked me while you went down on me. And it was the best feeling I had ever felt." she said, both hands pumping up and down his shaft at a nice pace with ease thanks to the slickness that was covering him. "You ate me until I came in your mouth."

And he was done for. He spilled out into the hands that kept running over the head of his cock, driving him insane. Beth slowly came to a stop once Rio was empty, her hands still gripped him though.

"I wanted you to fuck me that night, but you didn't have a condom."

"I remember." he responded, voice straining a little from the grip she had on his sensitive cock. "Come up here so I can fuck you now."

"Did you learn your lesson? Do you have a condom?"

They had forgone sex the night before because they didn't have any condoms and Beth refused to chance it because having another little Rio was out of the question. On that, she'd never budge.

"Damn it, Beth." he said, mentally scolding himself and letting out a light chuckle.

"Learn your lesson." she started, getting up onto her feet. "Because I really want some."

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Leave a review and let me know what you think!


	11. The Future

Just a little wrap up chapter (with some sweetness and some smut) because I didn't feel okay just leaving it unfinished. For everyone who took time to read what I've posted, I appreciate you so much!

* * *

"Okay, I'm not waiting anymore! I'm going to take pictures by myself if you all don't hurry up!" Beth yelled, no one in sight but she could hear everyone scattering around.

"Mama, you take a picture?" a little voice yelled before its owner came flying around the corner.

"Oh, Lia. Who gave you juice?" Beth asked, picking up her daughter, examining her white dress and teal tights.

Now four years old, Lia had grown into her own person. Still the spitting image of her father, but she had long dark hair and slightly lighter skin. For the longest, Beth had hoped she'd maybe, somehow start to resemble her but no such luck. And she was more than okay with that.

"Papi did." Lia answered.

"Of course he did. No juice until after pictures. Rio!" she called out, putting Lia back down and confiscating her juice.

"Why are you so loud today?" Rio asked, coming around the same corner that had just produced Lia.

"Why would you give her this before pictures? You look so good."

"You dressed me so of course you think that." Rio said, looking down at his navy polo shirt and khaki pants.

"I couldn't take any chances. And what in the world is taking everyone so long?"

"Nobody wants to take these corny ass pictures." he answered honestly.

"That's too bad. We're doing it anyway. Jane! Kenny! Emma! Danny!" she yelled upstairs.

"I'm right here." Kenny called out from the next room. "Why are you being so loud?"

"See? I'm not the only one wonderin'." Rio pointed out, laughing.

"All I'm asking for is a decent family picture. Just one good picture. Is that too much to ask?"

"Alright, alright." he said, looking into Beth's irresistible puppy dog eyes, then giving her a kiss.

"No, Mama." Lia protested, trying to pull Beth away from Rio.

"What did I tell you about that, Lia-bug?" Rio asked, picking Lia up. "You have to share me with Mama."

"You should've stopped it when she was a baby but no. It was hilarious then, huh?" Beth asked, smirking at Rio.

"Can we get this over with?" Danny asked, slowly making his way down the stairs.

"Oh, you look so handsome." Beth gushed.

"I know." he replied, shrugging and walking away.

"Alright. Emma, Jane, let's go!" Rio called upstairs.

"We're coming!" they shouted down in unison.

And down the stairs they came, both wearing teal coldshoulder tops and white capris.

"So pretty!" Beth complimented.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road." Rio said.

"Show on the road!" his mini-me repeated.

Getting perfect pictures was like pulling teeth. She couldn't get her boys to smile and she couldn't get her girls to stop acting annoyed.

"Okay. I don't care who likes it and who doesn't, we're gettin' these pictures for your mama. Smile like you mean it and if you're tired of bein' out here, I don't wanna see that feelin' on your face. Come on."

She gave him a quick kiss and they got some perfect pictures.

Not long after dinner that evening, everyone huddled up and watched a movie together. Beth and Rio seemed to be the only ones who could hang as all of the children fell asleep.

Beth could see Rio facing her out of her peripheral so she turned to face him and smiles stretched across their faces.

"What are you looking at?" she asked when their eyes didn't break contact.

"You." he answered as simply as he could.

"Why?"

"'Cause I love you." he told her, pressing a kiss onto her lips.

"I love you too." she replied, smiling against Rio's mouth. "Tomorrow, let's have a kid-free house."

"You got it, mama." he assured her.

And when the next night came, the house was kid-free. Beth cooked dinner and, like they seldom got the chance to do, they sat alone at the dinner table in their pajamas right next to each other and enjoyed a good meal. They ate, they drank, they talked, they constantly caught one staring at the other.

"You done eating, babe?" she asked, getting up from the table and grabbing she and Rio's empty plates. "I have a surprise for you."

"You comin' back in here naked?" he asked, smirking and rubbing his hands together.

"No, but you might enjoy it just as much."

"I doubt that." he said, eyes stayed on her body as she walked away.

But he changed his tune when she walked in with a small platter of cheesecake-stuffed strawberries and a bowl with a can of whipped cream in it, sitting it all on the table.

"Pretty damn close." he corrected himself, laughing.

"You mentioned wanting some the other day so I made you some for tonight." she said, reclaiming her seat beside him and filling the bowl with whipped cream.

"Thank you, baby."

She turned her chair to face him before grabbing a strawberry and dipping it into the whipped cream. Rio turned his head to face her and parted his lips, his eyes going back and forth from Beth's face to the treat in his hand. Once the strawberry reached his lips, he looked her in the eyes as he took a bite. He let out a low moan, knowing that almost as much as Beth loved to make him moan, she loved when her food did the same.

"Good?" she asked.

"Hell yeah." he answered, chewing and swallowing, savoring the bite.

She finished the rest of the strawberry and he wasn't lying; it was really good. She licked her lips, but must've had a bit of whipped cream left because Rio's eyes were stuck on her mouth as he leaned in and placed his hand on the back of her neck, bringing her lips to his. He licked the whipped cream from her top lip before parting her lips with his tongue. She closed her lips around his tongue and slowly pulled back, sucking on it.

"You want some more?"

"I want you." he said, turning his whole body to face her now and his free hand landing on her hip.

She smiled against his lips before he started kissing her like her mouth tasted even sweeter than their dessert. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Rio's hand reach towards the bowl of whipped cream; he dipped two fingers in and disconnected their lips. Beth opened her mouth, receiving his fingers and making a show of sucking the cream off of them.

He was visibly aroused and she couldn't keep her hands off. She put a hand on his knee and let it roam up to grip his erection through his sweatpants.

"You ready to go to bed?" he asked her, shocked when she shook her head.

"We never have the house to ourselves. I want it right here." she explained, watching excitement exude from his face.

Beth pulled the front of Rio's sweats down just enough to reach in and pull his hard cock out. She stroked him, then straddled him. His eyes watched her tongue dart out and wet her lips. She very lightly dragged her fingernails up his cock.

"Ah shit." he groaned, quickly coming out of his t-shirt.

She grinned at his reaction, kissing him as he unbuttoned her silk pajama top and sliding it off onto the floor. She pulled him closer to her, her bare breasts rubbing against his skin. Rio reached towards the bowl again, this time letting his whipped cream covered fingers play with one of Beth's nipples then the other. His mouth followed and she could feel herself getting wet as he brought her breasts up to his wet mouth, licking the whipped cream off and sucking her nipples. He brought his mouth back to hers and stood up, quickly lying her on the table, not daring to stop kissing her. Her hands moved to his back and her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him against her, squeezing his hardness between their bodies.

He grabbed her thighs, forcing her to unwrap her legs. He removed her pajama bottoms and panties before he swiped up the can of whipped cream. He touched between her legs with the cold can, making her deeply exhale. He brought the nozzle up between her breasts and tilted it, whipped cream squirting out and onto her alabaster skin. He lead a trail all the way to just above her landing strip, then sat the can back on the table.

Rio spread her legs and laid a kiss on her clit. The teasing was driving her wild. He pressed his lips onto the trimmed strip of hair, letting his chin rest against her clit.

"Rio, please" she begged.

"Like you said, we don't ever have the house to ourselves. I'm gon' take my time." he said, lips still rubbing against her.

He moved upwards, his tongue scooping up the whipped cream bit by bit followed by nips at her sweet, wet skin until he reached the last little bit between her breasts. He had his arms hooked under her thighs so she was wet and open for him. She reached between them, stroking his cock up and down a few times before he removed her hand.

"Fuck. Rio, I need it so bad." she moaned.

"Not yet." he said, reaching over and grabbing a strawberry from the platter.

He brought the fruit down between them, spreading her lower lips with one hand and dipping the fruit into her wetness with the other.

"Oh god." she said, shakily, her hips jerking at the little bit of contact.

He put the soaked fruit to her lips and she took a bite, the flavors of the treat and herself bursting on her tongue. Before she could even swallow, Rio's mouth was on hers as he brought the fruit back down for a second dip. This time, he ate it as he was face to face with her, both of them enjoying the new taste of their dessert.

"Babe, I want you to fuck me. I _need_ you to fuck me."

He gave her what she wanted, what she needed, what she was quivering and hungry for. He hooked his arm back under her leg and thrusted into her, sliding in easily. The noises that came from Beth sounded like she came already, but her hips thrusting upward to meet Rio's let him know that things weren't over. He leaned down and laid wet kisses on her jaw, hitting the inside of her at an angle that had her squeezing his cock. His kisses moved to her neck then her ear.

"Mm, you feel so good, baby." he moaned directly into her ear.

"Oh!" she shouted, his words, his dick, and his warm breath working in unison, making her toes curl. "Ohhh!"

Her moans urged Rio to allow his long, slow thrusts to gain speed. Her hips caught the rhythm and met his thrusts magnificently. Rio's hand caressed its way to Beth's ankle before taking hold of it and resting it on his shoulder, getting a loud yelp out of Beth as he drove deeper inside of her.

She'd be sore in the morning, but it was worth it.

Rio nearly pulled out, leaving just the tip of his penis inside of her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, trying to catch her breath.

"My wife so fuckin' beautiful. After years of me damn near beggin', she married me."

She smiled.

"I did. And I'm so happy I did. It's been a wonderful week of marriage." she said. "Now come on and fuck me."

He wasted no time getting back into a fast, steady rhythm. He brought her legs back around his waist and leaned down, pressing his chest against hers. Her hands landed softly on the sides of his face and she brought his face to hers, passionately kissing him. Her hands gripped his face tighter and her eyes squeezed shut as she contracted around him.

"Fuck, Rio!" she moaned loudly into his open mouth. "Don't stop."

And he didn't. He stood tall and continued to fuck her. Despite her body shaking, he kept pumping in and out of her wet warmth. Just when she felt like her climax might be nearing its end, she felt four sturdy fingers pressing just above her center and a thumb quickly running back and forth across her clit. And before her first orgasm could wane, another wave hit her. It was strong, it was overwhelming, and it would've been unbearable if it hadn't been so damn pleasurable. Her body scooted back on its own accord much to Rio's dislike.

"Unh-unh. Stop runnin'." he said, grabbing her hip with the hand that wasn't working on her clit. She felt impossibly wonderful around him; so warm, wet, and tight, squeezing him until he came inside of her.

Her body tensed up as Rio's actions prolonged her second orgasm. Finally, he slowed down and moved his hand from between her legs, up her stomach, then grabbed her breast.

"You sticky, baby." he said, leaning down, kissing her unattended breast, then up her jaw and finally her open, waiting mouth.

"You think we need a shower?" she asked in response.

"Oh, we definitely do."

"Don't pull out. You're an old married man now. Let's see if you still got it." she teased.

"Girl, grab that whipped cream."

She laughed and grabbed the can of whipped cream.

"Best believe I still got it." he said, lifting her up from the table with ease, still inside of her.

"I love you so much." Beth said, moaning at the change of angle.

"I love you too, Beth."

You see, when he said that Lia was worth it, he meant it. He meant that Beth and her children, who were now like his own, were worth it. Worth the fights, worth the drama, worth the indecisiveness when it came to whether he wanted to go legit or not. Granted, it took some time to come to his senses, but he did it. After getting back into the game, it didn't take even a whole year for him to realize that he couldn't bare always being away from home. There was nothing in this world that was more precious or important than what was always waiting for him at home: Beth and their children.

She had been okay with him living the life he was used to, as long as he never brought trouble into their home. And maybe acceptance for who he was, was all he needed. Beth loving him in spite of all the bad things made him feel like she was loving all the bad things right out of him, like she believed in him in ways no one had ever believed in him before. Made him feel like he could accomplish anything. So maybe he wasn't built to work a 9 to 5 at an auto shop. But he was built to own a luxury car repair business so he did it with the help of Beth. He was built to go into neighborhoods that had nothing, neighborhoods like he grew up in, and buy warehouses and properties and buildings and renovate them. He was built to change the lives of young boys and girls who were in environments that all but pushed him into a life of crime. He was determined to change their paths, to give them safe places to have fun and be creative.

And for the longest time, Beth wasn't interested in getting married again. She'd been there and done that and it wasn't something she thought she'd ever want to do again. But every single day, she fell more and more in love with Rio. More in love with the stages of the man he had become since the moment they found out she was pregnant with their baby. Through the years, they talked about it often but she always just said she would think about it. Until they were having dinner as a family and one of the children brought it up. They all laughed about how it seemed like they were already married, but they children didn't hold back at all when expressing how awesome it'd be if they really got married.

So they gathered at the courthouse with their friends and family and took a chance. Because it would always be one thing or another if they focused on what could go wrong. They both decided that taking a chance on them was truly what they wanted. Taking a chance on them was...well, worth it.

* * *

Please, please, leave a comment of message me and let me know what you think of the chapter. And thank you sooo much for reading!


End file.
